Tinctura Lucidum somnium 30ml (Lucid dream tincture)

Calea Zacatechichi is a dream herb that is scientifically shown to increase dream recall, dream intensity and hypnagogic imagery.

FAMILY: Compositae (Sunflower Family) GENUS: Calea SPECIES: Zacatechichi COMMON NAMES: Ahuapatli, Amula, Atanasia amarga, Aztec Dream Grass, Bejuco Chismuyo, Betonica, Bitter Grass, Chapote, Chichicxihuitl, Dream Herb, Hoja Madre, Iztactzapotl, Yerba Amarga, Zacate de Perro 

DESCRIPTION: Calea zacatechichi has many slender branches and when left to grow wild, will easily spread into a thick bush. Under the right conditions a Calea zacatechichi plant can grow up to 10 feet (3 meters tall), but in normal conditions most specimens tend to be half that size. Each branch produces many small oval leaves, between 3/4 of an inch to 2.5 inches in length (2 – 7 cm), which have serrated edges and curl under. The younger leaves are brilliant green on top and violet underneath. In the right lighting this plant is luminescent and will dramatically standout from its surroundings. C. zacatechichi may be grown from germinated seeds. The dried husks should be removed before planted. The plant likes rich top soil and lots of water (Ratsch 1998, 116-117).

Dream Herb originated in central Mexico, predominantly growing in the mountainous areas above 5000 feet (1500 meters), in the Mexican states of Chiapas, Jalisco, Morelos, Oaxaca, Veracruz, and even in lowland areas on the Yucatan peninsula; it also grows as far south as Costa Rica. This plant tends to grow in areas populated by pine trees and oak trees (Flores 1977).

TRADITIONAL USE: The Chontal Indians of the Oaxaca region in Mexico have used C. zacatechichi, which they call Thle-pelakano (meaning Leaf of God) for centuries as a medicine that clarifies the senses and allows the medicine man to receive divinatory messages while dreaming and to see visions through their dreams (Ratsch 1998, 117). The plant has been tentatively identified as one of the plants adorning Aztec statues of Xochipilli.

TRADITIONAL PREPARATION: The Chontal Indians prepare dream Grass in several different ways: when used as a topical medicine, fresh leaves are crushed and squeezed and the juices are directly applied to the affected area. When used to divine the future, the Chontal brew a powerful tea with the dried leaves. They drink the tea, relax, and smoke the dried leaves just before they go to sleep. This method is believed to induce vivid lucid dreams that are memorable and occur several time throughout the night. Generally, a handful of dried herbage (about 60 grams) is considered an effective dosage. Fresh leaves may also be placed under the table to stimulate dreaming (Ratsch 1998, 117).

MEDICINAL USES: This magical herb is used in a great number of Chontal folk remedies as an appetite stimulant, cleansing agent for deep wounds and minor burns, to treat diarrhea, reduce fevers, as a application to heal skin rashes and swollen scalps, and most notably to relieve headache pains. The Aztecs once used the plant to treat “cold stomach”. The plant is still used in Mexican folk medicine as a laxative and treatment for fever. A tea made from the leaves is particularly good for the stomach and disorders of the digestive system. It is also used for menstrual complaints (Mayagoita et al. 1986).

RADITIONAL EFFECTS: Analysis of Dream Grass has shown that the primary psychoactive compounds are germacranolides, which are also the cause of this herb’s sharp bitter taste. Specifically, Calea zacatechichi naturally produces: 1B-acetoxy-zacatechinolide, 1-oxo-zacatechinolide, budleine A, caleicine I, caleicine II, caleine A, caliene B, caleocromene A, caleocromene B, germacrene 7, O-methyl-acacetine, and zexbrevine. Recent research has also revealed a compound of unknown structure that is moderately psychoactive and possesses sedative qualities. These compounds are all soluble in water as well as alcohol (Voogelbreinder 2009, 111).

In contemporary phytomedicine, Passiflora incarnata is still widely in use. Its sedative and soothing properties explain why it is often used for sleep disorders and insomnia. The herb doesn‘t cause any next-day hangover, which contributes to its popularity as a sleep aid. Also, passionflower acts against seizures, which is why it was used as a treatment for Parkinson's disease before more effective medication was discovered. It is also widely used to relieve anxiety, restlessness, a racing heart and headaches.

FAMILY: Passifloraceae GENUS: Passiflora SPECIES:Incarnata, Caerulea, Edulis, Foetida, Involucrata, Jorullensis, Laurifolia, Quadrangularis, Rubra COMMON NAMES: Passionflowers, Passion Fruits, Flos Passionis, Granadilla

DESCRIPTION: Passion Flower is a woody vine with intricate blue, purple, red, or white flowers. Several species, which act as sedatives and anxiolytics, are consumed as a tea or herbal supplement. Some Passion Flower species may contain small amounts of MAOIs, potentially interacting with other chemicals and medications. And some species, notably P. caerulea, also contain poisonous cyanogenic glycoside.Passiflora as a genus covers over four hundred species. All Passiflora species (widely known as Passionflowers and Passion Fruits), are evergreen climbing vines or bushes with many-lobed leaves and unmistakable other-worldly flowers that come in several variations of colors and types of leaves, filaments, and anthers. The fruits of Passiflora are oval and usually edible (Ratsch 1998, 416).

Almost all species of Passiflora are indigenous to the tropical rain forests of the Americas, most to Central and South America. Some species may be found in the Caribbean and southeastern North America. There are only a few Passiflora species that can survive in more temperate climates, with several species now known to grow wild in Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Spain, as well as Southeast Asia. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, botanists helped to spread various passionflower species across much of the globe (Ratsch 1998, 415).

TRADITIONAL USES: In Pre-Columbian times, South American peoples used many of the up-to-sixty edible Passiflora species as food, as well as to prepare medicines and sedatives. When Spanish missionaries invaded the New World, they took Passiflora as a sign from God, seeing the unusual flowers as a symbol of the mystery and the passion of Jesus Christ. It was the Spanish Friars who first called the plant “Flos Passionis,” or Passion Flower in English, because of their conception that Passiflora was the living epitome of the passion story of their Lord Savior (Klock 1996 cited in Ratsch 1998, 415). 

The Spaniards of the West Indies named the plant “Granadilla” due to the similarities of passion flower fruits to pomegranate fruits. The passion fruit species that thrives in the West Indies is large and red and bears a striking resemblance to the pomegranate, only the passion fruit husk is thinner, the fruit is mostly tasteless, and the juice is sour. This fruit has mild laxative effects. 

In the region of Iquitos, the roots of the Amazonian species Passiflora involucrata are used as an additive to ayahuasca to intensify the visions experienced during ceremonial rituals. Maracuja (P. edulis) juice plays a significant role in Brazilian jurema rituals, which are similar to ayahuasca rituals, but which are not particularly well understood at this time (Ratsch 1998, 416).

TRADITIONAL PREPARATION: To make a calming tea, dried Passiflora incarnata herbage may be combined with valerian root (Valeriana officinalis), hop cones (Humulus lupulus), and St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum). Another variation includes the dried herbage of Passiflora incarnata blended with valerian root, lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), anise (Pimpinella anisum), and mint (menthe). The recommended daily dosage of dried herbage of Passiflora incarnata is four to eight grams; as a tea the suggested dosage is two and one half grams per cup, taken three to four times daily. Tea may also be made by combining fifteen grams of passionflower herbage and one hundred and fifty grams of boiling water (Meier et al. 1994 cited in Ratsch 199, 416).

In Mexico, the flowers of Passiflora foetida are known as amapola, or “opium,” and are brewed into a tea that is used as an opium substitute (Argueta et al. 1994 cited in Ratsch 1998, 416). The roots of Passiflora involucrata are suitable for use in preparing ayahuasca analogs. Passion fruit juice is used together with Mimosa tenuiflora and species of the Pithecellobium family to produce the ayahuasca-like drink known as Jurema of Brazil, and is represented in various artifacts of the people who use this medicine (Ratsch 1998, 416). It has been rumored that the Passiflora rubra of the Dominican Republic is used to produce a zombie-like state in unwitting victims, but those reports have not been substantiated (Voogelbreinder 2009, 262-263).

MEDICINAL USE: In the Amazon, a tea of maracuja (Passiflora edulis) leaves is imbibed as a sedative. Maracujafruit juice allegedly has MAO-inhibiting properties. A tea made form the leaves of tumbo (Passiflora quadrangularis) is used as a narcotic and sedative. The Kubeo people tell us that a decoction of the leaves of Passiflora laurifolia has sleep-inducing effects. The Indians of the Caribbean and Central America also use several species of Passiflora as sedatives and sleeping agents (Ratsch 1998, 416).

In European folk medicine and phytotherapy, Passiflora incarnata is either taken as a tea or as part of a combination preparation for states of nervous unrest. In homeopathy, a Passiflora incarnata mother tincture is used for such purposes as calming and to promote sleep. Experimentation with animals has demonstrated that an aqueous extract of Passiflora incarnata both deepens and prolongs sleep (Meier et al. 1994 cited in Ratsch 1998, 416).

Currently, P. incarnata is used in Europe as an antispasmodic medicine for Parkinson’s patients. A tea made from P. incarnata root is used by the Cherokee as a ‘social drink’, for weaning infants, and as a liver tonic and external wash for wounds. Other American Indian groups use the herb to treat swelling and eye troubles (Voogelbreinder 2009, 263).

TRADITIONAL EFFECTS: Today, passion fruits are one of the most highly valued exotic fruits in the world. It has been reported that the psychoactive components in Passiflora incarnata and other Passiflora species are harmane alkaloids. One may sometimes read that one hundred grams of dried Passiflora incarnata contains about ten micrograms of harmane alkaloid. This finding is highly controversial. Maltol, once believed to be the main active constituent in the plant, is actually a by-product that is created when the raw plant is heated. The pulp of the passion fruit consists primarily of two to four percent citric acid, traces of ascorbic acid, cartenoids, starch and more than two hundred aromatic substances (Meier et al. cited in Ratsch 1998, 416).

The psychoactive properties of the Passiflora genus as a whole is still awaiting thorough ethnopharmacological study. However there are several species that have a rich history of entheogenic use. The psychoactive compounds documented to be found in Passiflora incarnata include vicenine-2, isoorientine, isovitexine-2”-O-glucoside, schaftoside, isoschaftoside, isoorientine2”-O-glucoside, isovitexine and swertisine. Saponarine, once thought to be a constituent, is in fact absent in the plant (Meier 1995 cited in Ratsch 1998, 417). Passiflora jorullensis contains passicol, harmol, harmane, harmine, and harmaline (Emboden 1979). The roots of Passiflora involucrata appear to be rich in B-carbolines with MAO-inhibiting properties (Argueta et al. 1994 cited in Ratsch 1998, 417).

The neuropharmacological effects of P. incarnata have been compared to those of Cannabis sativa. When smoked, the herbages of both Passiflora incarnata and Passiflora jorullensis induce a mild, marijuana-type high. The herbage may be smoked alone or in smoking blends with other plants (Emboden 1979).